All's Fair in Love, Lust, and War
by SinfulIndulgence
Summary: Piper has the ability to inflict lust on anyone who touches her. Jason Grace was just the unfortunate soul who could never shake off her spell. In fact, he doesn't plan to.
1. Prologue

A/N: Enjoy! I own nothing but the plot. Also fuck you, Burning Maze, for offing a main character. T.T

* * *

 _The stories of the Ancient times follow the same themes..._

 _War...famine...conquers...rebellions._

 _Nations rise and fall, leaving behind the tales of bravery and cowardice the only remnants of their existence._

 _Here is the legend of Jason Grace and Piper McLean, and their love that sealed the rift between their nations._

* * *

The first time Jason saw his wife-to-be up close was when she was standing over him, the heel of her foot placed flat on his chest and the point of her 18 inch dagger right underneath his chin. When he heard the other men bragging about being underneath their wives, this probably wasn't what they meant.

To be honest, Jason's pride stung a bit. He was the praetor of his military regiment, the son of Jupiter, one of the best Generals in the Roman armies. And now he had just been taken down by a Greek demigod. And a child of Aphrodite, no less. He made a mental point then and there to never underestimate children of the goddess of love. After all, Rome was founded by a son of Venus.

Even without the beauty of the warrior above him, Jason could immediately tell she was a daughter of Aphrodite. It was because the moment she was on the battlefield, an immense amount of lust had fallen upon the Roman warriors. And not bloodlust or something like that, actual lust that afflicted every single warrior that did not expect such feelings.

Jason had been fighting just fine a few minutes earlier. Then he had suddenly fallen to his knees, unaccustomed to the want and need his body was feeling. But he was faring better than the other soldiers. Those who got the brunt of the magic were writhing on the ground, their armors clanking together. A few even palmed at their groin area (embarrassing, he knew).

Oh, what was he kidding, even he had to control his own urges. His erection was painfully tight. Were it not for the armor that protected that area, he might have done the same.

He had heard of such powers before, in legends where Lady Venus occasionally bestowed such abilities to her children. Still, Lord Bacchus was more likely to grant his children such powers, where the ability to intensify lust made for some wild accessories to their infamous drunken parties and orgies.

So who was this sorceress that was causing his Cohort to behave like this? Jason growled, his alert blue eyes scanning the battlefield. The Romans had been winning just minutes ago, before the Greeks' reinforcements had arrived. Already they were regrouping. And the woman who had caused all this...

She stood fifty feet away in the middle of the chaos, wisps of brown hair escaping her braid. A battle helm obscured most of her face. She held her arms out, continuing casting her spell. Jason had to stop her.

As best as he could, Jason tried to pick up his sword again. Instantly, another wave of lust washed through him and he dropped the sword again. The urge to climax was building, like the pressure of a river holding behind a dam constructed of mere wood. He gritted his teeth. He had survived too many battles to lose like this. Whoever this woman was, she was the most dangerous being he had ever encountered.

Jason reached for his sword again. This time he grabbed the blade intentionally. A flare of pain broke through the lust-ridden fog in his mind as the blade sliced his palm. With not a moment to spare, he summoned the winds and flew straight at her.

She was startled obviously. But the magic once again hit him, just enough that she dodged his slash and aimed a well placed kick at his chest. Which brought him to his current position lying on the ground, her dagger pointed underneath his chin. This close to her, Jason could see her eyes. They were dark brown, then hazel, then golden amber, and then green... For some reason, her eye color kept morphing into colors he could not distinguish.

Then a hunting horn sounded. Jason grinned as the woman's eyes widened in alarm. Reyna had pulled through.

Jason took control of the distraction to slash at the woman with his sword. She barely blocked the sword with her dagger, snarling as waves of fresh Roman soldiers overtook the field.

"Come on, Beauty Queen!" A lithe man with elvish features trotted up to her, aiming a wave of bright flames from his hands at Jason's feet. Jason stumbled backwards at the unexpected assault, before somersaulting back on his feet.

By the time he had gathered his wits, the elvish man set fire to a small bag of something and threw it at Jason. On instinct, Jason slashed at the bag and regretted it immediately. If only the small bag was a bomb or whatever. He had meant to only hit it with the flat side of his blade and punt it somewhere else in case it was a bomb. However, the moment his sword had touched the bag, the bag exploded in a burst of smoke and flatulence. The smoke expanded quickly, covering the Greeks' escape.

All around the battlefield, his war-hardened and training toughened warriors were collapsing and gagging as the smell of overcooked rotten beans messed with their sense of balance.

Jason dropped to the ground for the third time in his life. First he and his warriors were afflicted with a lust spell and now they were dealing with poison farts. He was going to kill the Greeks the next time he saw them.

* * *

The next time he did see the Greeks and the second time Jason met her was when his sword flew over her head to parry a javelin that would have made a gaping hole in her head. She returned the favor mere seconds later by tackling him and rolling together away some feet away. Where he had been standing just a moment ago, was now a sizeable crater where a large boulder now lay.

"Thanks," he said breathlessly to her. She had tackled him with the speed of a lioness.

"Don't mention it. Now get off of me." She grunted.

Jason blinked, not realizing that he had ended up on top of her. He quickly scrambled, pulling her up. He was so close to her again, those kaleidoscope eyes bright. His hand hummed, from where he had touched her hand. It was reminiscent of when her lust spell had overtaken him.

But the battle was still raging around them. Jason turned away from her to throw himself back into battle.

The Romans and Greeks had taken a temporary alliance, albeit a very unstable one, to defeat the horde of monsters that were overrunning both nations. Apparently the forces of evil were taking advantage of the chaos surrounding the warring nations so the monsters could defeat both weakened nations easily. A mastermind plan worthy of the Titans themselves. Fortunately, the Greeks' Oracle had received a prophecy from the gods, and the children of Apollo in both camps had received the same. Or else Jason would never have had seen both Greeks and Romans fighting alongside each other like they were currently going. He had even met his sister Thalia, who was on the Greek side.

But there was no time to think about such mundane things. Jason shifted his Imperial gold sword into a javelin and launched himself into the thick of the fighting.

* * *

Jason lost track of how many times he had seen her before the marriage ceremony. Their marriage ceremony to be exact.

With the evil forces defeated (for now, at least) the Greeks and Romans needed to forge stronger alliances. They had worked well on the battlefield, saving each other's lives and defeating powerful enemies. But could they achieve peace without turning into rivals again? That remained to be seen.

Both sides had agreed to arranged marriages of their leaders. And not just any leader, but the strongest that they had.

The duty had fallen to Jason.

At first, he thought he would be betrothed to the blond woman who was the best strategist in the Greek side. She had caused them many losses. Whenever she turned her gray eyes onto him, Jason felt like she was plotting his death and calculating every weakness he had. But Annabeth was engaged to the son of Poseidon, whose green eyes softened whenever Annabeth was around.

A son of Poseidon and a daughter of Athena? Jason could hardly believe his eyes. If those two rivals could work together, then perhaps the Greeks and Romans had a high chance of cooperation and peace as well.

A conch horn blared, announcing the arrival of the Greeks to the Temple of Apollo where the marriage was being held.

Reyna fell into position by his side, with Frank and Hazel behind her. Jason was grateful for her presence. Reyna was forever a great support, a pillar of strength, and a kind friend.

 _Friend?_ She had wryly asked one time.

Jason was not as oblivious as other people thought. He knew of Reyna's feelings towards him. Most praetors ended up getting involved at one point or another. But Jason was confused as to what he felt towards Reyna. She had been a companion to him for so long. To see her in another light, a romantic one at that, was...different.

And then this alliance with the Greeks had happened. The other candidate was Octavian and damned would the nations be if Octavian were the one marrying the Greek. That was too powerful of a position for the power-hungry centurion and augur. Even the Greeks had taken one look at Octavian and flatly refused.

So it ended up being him. It was his duty to make sure his people were safe. Feelings were nothing for him, and the stakes were too high.

It was Reyna's duty, too. She had sacrificed as much as or even more than he had. Though he wished she didn't have to be there for the marriage ceremony, knowing that it probably crushed her inside. But Reyna was never one to run from a fight. That was one of her many traits that he admired.

The doors opened. Percy walked in first, regal with his armor studded with pearls. Annabeth was right at his side, her blonde hair pinned back in soft curls by a circlet of pearls. She had traded her customary bronze armor for a dress that was simple but elegant.

Jason smothered a grin. Though he had faced against them many times in battle, they had also worked together more recently against the monster armies. He appreciated and respected them, knowing they were loyal to their peoples and would never break their oaths. And now it seemed that the pair didn't bother hiding their relationship anymore. The pearls were obviously gifted by Percy. The Annabeth Jason had come to know would be caught dead if she wore any other jewelry.

Then there was Leo, whose mischievous eyes lit up as Jason nodded his head in salutation. Though Jason had been annoyed when Leo had set his tent on fire before the alliance, he quickly got over the fact when Leo's contraptions and machines brought destruction upon the monster armies and saved both Romans and Greeks. The son of Hephaestus quickly became Jason's closest Greek friend.

Then _she_ came into the room. The Romans murmured, the feeling of unease adrift. He held a hand up and they shushed. But he understood their discomfort. Besides conquering hordes of monsters, she had nearly taken down an entire Roman legion just by casting her spell of lust. Many of those spellbound were in the Temple currently. No doubt they were embarrassed or wanted revenge in some way.

Beauty Queen, Leo had called her. The influence of Aphrodite had never been so strong until now. She had indeed been beautiful on the battlefield, even with armor stained from monster dust. But now garbed in a simple silk white dress that clung to her curves so naturally, his bride was stunning. Her dark hair was braided, woven with real gold ribbons and delicate flower pins made of real gold. The gold armlets around her arms enhanced her lean biceps. Although only her lips were rouged with the tint of bright berries, she was more beautiful than any of the women who slathered on tints and creams he had ever seen.

Piper.

The epitome of Aphrodite.

Her expression was unreadable, though she had a flash of nervousness in her eyes. Jason's tense shoulders relaxed just a tad. Of course she would be nervous, too, just like he was.

Soon, Piper had reached the altar, looking slightly up at him with a small smile. She smelled like sweet oils and lavender. He tried to discern what color her eyes were once again, but they only swirled in their mysteriousness.

The rest of the marriage ceremony blurred and suddenly they were in the pavilion, feasting on fine meats and delicate fruit. The food was usually delicious, but the fresh bread tasted dry in his mouth. Jason had been nervous before battles of course, but marriage was another thing altogether.

Reyna had pulled him aside and warned him to let her know if Piper or any of the Greeks dared to harm him.

 _You can never let your guard down too much,_ she had said.

Somehow he doubted the Greeks would kill him. Piper sat beside him, her fingers drumming nervously on the table. Once, her hand had brushed against his when they both reached for the same jug of mead. A shot of electricity ran between them, causing both to pull their hands back.

"Sorry," Jason muttered. Sometimes when he was nervous, real sparks of electricity tended to come out.

"It's okay, Sparky," Piper returned with a smile. Still there was a hint of wariness in her eyes.

Jason half-grimaced, half-smiled at the nickname chosen for him by Piper. No doubt Piper was also thinking of the consummation after the marriage ceremony. But he swore on the River Styx that he didn't intend to let loose the electricity. In fact, he was sure that he didn't. Something else had transpired between them.

When the back of her hand had brushed his, he felt just a twinge of that lust he had experienced on the battlefield. It had happened every time their skin touched.

In the shadows of the temple, Jason caught sight of Octavian, sneering at the Greeks. Just to be a rude bastard, Octavian had hinted earlier that the Graecus scum would most likely stab Jason in the consummation process. Luckily, the small rumors Octavian had spread had been snuffed out, in case the Greeks heard and turned on their new allies.

Jason had a feeling that he wouldn't be stabbed in the back. The marriage had already been consummated.

After all, he was the only one privy to Piper's secret.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Enjoy and leave a review!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Before the marriage**

The tension was so thick in the tent that Jason could cut the air with a blunt knife. If the strained atmosphere didn't get any better, he might accidentally set off a lightning bolt. Neither the Roman or the Greek side would appreciate that. Not now during the solidification of peace and alliance negotiations.

The five centurions of each cohort in his legion stood behind him as guards. Octavian, the little annoying shit stood directly behind, muttering to himself about the lack of trust in the Greeks.

"Quiet, Octavian." Reyna said. Even without her dagger, her eyes were sharp. Octavian took the hint and the augur finally shut up.

The Greeks were due to arrive in only a few minutes. Jason tried to keep the nervousness down to a minimum. He was supposed to be the fearless leader. Now act like it, he thought to himself.

The battle hours earlier had been a temporary collaborative effort when the surge of monsters consisting of cannibalistic centaurs, Laistrygonian giants, and empousa started taking advantage of the Greek-Roman war. And now the Greeks had sent word that they wanted to negotiate a more permanent peace treaty.

Perhaps it was for the best. Jason personally thought that both sides were suffering too many losses. So many soldiers had to be pulled to the battlefront, leaving other borders weak. Reyna was more conservative in her opinion, but she was fair and agreed to give a chance for negotiation. Then there was Octavian...

With Octavian's silver tongue, the negotiations could go quite sour. Jason's hand crept for the sword always tucked by his side, then remembered all weapons were left outside the tent. Precautions so no one could attack each other should the negotiations actually go sour. It was a show of good faith by the Romans. If only the Greeks kept their word as well.

The flap of the tent opened and the first Greek came in.

Percy Jackson.

Jason had heard many stories of the son of Poseidon. He had once wiped out half a legion with his ability to control water. Though his stance and facial expression were neutral, his sea green eyes were sharp and wary. Jason had battled alongside him earlier, combining his wind powers to create a mini hurricane that destroyed a whole column of nasty Laistrygonian giants. A formidable ally, or a formidable enemy. Percy scanned the Romans before his eyes landed on Jason. He grinned in greeting and Jason smiled back.

A blonde woman entered next. Her blond hair was a nest of wild curls, held back by in a long braid pinned into a chignon. Blond Greeks were rare, but those grey eyes and sleek blond strands definitely designated her a daughter of Athena. Jason had no idea who she was, but he had caught glimpses of her fighting next to Percy. Her strong posture and the calculating air in her piercing gaze marked her a strong leader.

Jason noted that the pair tried not to stand too close to each other, as though fearing to touch each other. Interesting.

Then came the Oracle of Delphi followed by the son of Hephaestus. All the Romans, even Octavian, bowed their heads slightly in respect to the auburn-haired mortal. Though the Oracle possessed no heritage of the gods, Jason had seen what the power of the Oracle could do. It was the Oracle who had first approached the Romans for the initial temporary peace treaty. The green mist that had come out of the Oracle had been dark and mysterious. Not evil, but spoke of a deity so ancient, so powerful that one would be stupid to ignore the summons.

The son of Hephaestus merely grinned. His fingers played with the folds of his white tunic, as if aching to be crafting. After seeing (and smelling) the son of Hephaestus's work, Jason had gained tremendous respect for the son's wily ways.

Then the flap of the tent opened once more. Jason's breath caught in his throat.

It was not that he often was tongue-tied in the presence of beautiful women. The centurions behind him shuffled in nervousness. Even Reyna's back had stiffened.

The woman with the dark brown hair appeared, her features graceful and lithe. Her hair, pinned in a simple chignon, had feathers braided in. She seemed so different out of the battlefield, her bronze armor removed, revealing a slender figure that belied her prowess in soft eyes searched the room before she came to stand quietly by the son of Hephaestus. Though she wasn't exuding her power to induce lust, Jason still felt drawn to her somehow, as though he had known her a long time before. His skin was buzzing, almost alight with an excitement that was foreign to him. And yet he still couldn't figure out what color her eyes were.

She turned to gaze at him, a quizzical look in her expression. Jason felt his cheeks warm, and he tried to tamp the feeling down. He hadn't meant to stare so blatantly.

"Ahem," Reyna coughed discreetly. Oh gods, she had caught him staring, too. "Shall we begin?"

Both the Romans and Greeks gathered around the table. Attendants poured wine in their cups, but no one drank. Out of nervousness or fear of being poisoned, Jason wasn't sure. No doubt trust still had to be built.

"You've looked over the treaty? Is everything found to be agreeable?" Percy asked.

Jason nodded. While the short-term goals were to become allies and defeat the hordes of rampaging monsters, the long-term goals were to leave each other side alone, unless to establish trade routes. No more battles and pillaging would be performed by either side.

The conversation continued on for a while, straightening out loopholes and kinks in the treaty. The daughter of Aphrodite remained quiet for most of the conversation, except to speak up during times of tension in the tent. Jason observed that her words had a calming effect. Charmspeak? Surprisingly, the woman, who he now knew was named Piper, did not use her charmspeak to negotiate more favorable terms for the Greeks.

It was a point in the Greeks' favor, at least to Jason's view. They were being fair and quite amicable.

Octavian tried to interrupt a few times. Reyna was a leader of the armies, but Octavian's silver tongue was menacing in dangerous situations like these. Thank goodness, the Greeks didn't appear to be too affected, not even falling for traps when Octavian made snide remarks about the Greeks. A few sentences from Piper's melodic voice and Octavian would falter. Unfortunately, the augur just wouldn't shut up forever.

Finally the negotiations came to an end. Jason sliced his thumb, letting the blood seep around the flesh. When he pressed his thumb to the paper that decreed the Roman-Greek alliance, his fingerprint stayed, outlined in scarlet red. The others followed suit.

It was only when the Greeks left did Jason take a deep breath. It would be a new era.

* * *

Piper wandered in the town alone where the Greeks and Romans had deigned to make their encampments. The town was one of the lesser ones pillaged, where the two rivals had combined their armies in order to stop the monsters from raiding the innocents just in time.

Children ran along the streets, no longer afraid to roam. Hawkers yelled their wares, offering tasty morsels or a delicate trinket. Delicious smells of fresh bread filled the market, reminding Piper that she hadn't eaten since that morning. She had been so nervous for the peace negotiations that she hadn't eaten lunch in case the contents of her stomach made an appearance during the deliberations. That would have been humiliating, though Leo would have probably laughed and made some kind of joke.

Speaking of Leo, Piper had been walking with him earlier but separated when he ventured into the blacksmith's. Leo could get quite into crafting, and she wasn't about to intrude in one of his crafting sessions. Especially after the fart bomb incident.

A squad of Roman soldiers passed the streets before her, and her thoughts sobered. The presence of soldiers and the atmosphere of the town reminded her of her own hometown. She hadn't seen her hometown in more than a decade. Or her father.

Piper looked up into the sky with its azure color and pillowy clouds floating by. How could the sky look so beautiful when her father was dead?

Tristan McLean had once been a handsome man, handsome and talented enough to attract the attention of Aphrodite. Piper had been Tristan's pride and joy, with her gift of song and her unmatched beauty, second only to the gods. Piper had always hated beauty and being the center of attention since those days. While Tristan loved the limelight, he had attracted the wrong sort of people at times. And they coveted her. Her father had done his best to seclude her as much as possible. It was only now that Piper realized that Tristan so often pushed himself in the spotlight so he could protect in the shadows, hiding her beauty from the greed of other men.

 _"Run, Piper,"_ _her father had pleaded. The look in his eyes were wild._

 _But Piper couldn't understand at the time. She was only twelve, still a child. How could she understand how cruel humans could be?_

 _It was too late. The flimsy door came crashing down and men came pouring into the derelict cottage the McLeans lived in._

 _"Get the girl."_

 _Those cruel words cut the air. Harsh hands grabbed at her, tearing her clothes. Piper tried to kick, bite, punch her way out, but earned resounding slaps on her face for her efforts. A man grinned, his eyes cruel and hard. She was scared, her legs trembling._

 _Piper didn't know then but would soon learn enough what lust was._

"Fresh bread, miss?" His voice broke Piper from her past, her heart still hurting.

One baker displayed his tray, full of sweet-smelling bread. Piper's stomach growled and the baker's grin grew wider. Piper reached for her money pouch, only to realize that she had left her money pouch back at camp.

"Oh, shoot," she muttered. Ten years ago, she might have used her charmspeak to convince the baker to give her some bread for free. But she wasn't that person anymore. That person had died.

A hand appeared from her side, holding two copper coins. "Two breads please," the familiar male voice said.

Piper turned around to face sky-blue eyes and closely-clipped blond hair.

Jason Grace was a head taller than her and he smiled down at her. A small scar was on his lips. He handed one of the breads to her. "Here."

"Um, thank you." She took it gingerly, making sure not to touch his hand. "I'll pay you back when I can."

The Roman shrugged. "It's just a piece of bread. I'll see you around...Piper."

Piper watched as he walked away and disappeared into the midst of the crowd. This was the fifth time that she had met him, and four of those meetings had been within the last month.

The first time was when she had been enslaved in his household.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow so many views, thank you all very much. There's also been a rise in my profile views :O, feel free to read my other works. Enjoy and leave a review! I'm always looking for constructive criticism to improve my writing~

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Wasn't that the woman from the meeting with the Greeks from earlier? The daughter of Aphrodite?" Frank asked curiously as Jason returned to his friend. Frank looked down at the bread Jason held. "And didn't you just eat lunch?"

Jason looked back to where he had just came from, but Piper had already left. "Yeah, that was her. Just helping her out."

The words were foreign in his mouth. A Roman helping out a Greek was unheard of. But it was a new time for peace. And what had his Uncle said? Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. His uncle was a formidable man who had raged and won many battles until he had assaulted one too many innocents and fell on his own sword.

 _It's your fault._ The snide voice in the back of his head remarked. _Guilty. Traitor._

"Shut up," he growled.

"What?" Frank asked, startled. "I didn't say anything."

He hadn't meant to speak out loud. "Um, it's nothing. Here, you want this?"

"Um, thanks." Frank took the bread, mystified. But he started munching on it anyways. Hazel was right; Frank had an appetite of that of a centaur.

Jason and Frank explored the town, but they didn't meet the daughter of Aphrodite again. Jason's mood worsened as he thought of what the dark voice in the back of his head had said.

The voice was right, of course. His uncle had been an intelligent strategist and general. His name inspired fear to all his enemies. But the general was not a good man. He treated his servants and slaves like the shit his sandals had stepped on. Food, wine, and women were all he cared about off of the battlefield, and Jason had learned very quickly that the women of the villages his uncle conquered faced dire fates.

It had been a relief when his uncle died. Then a sense of guilt filled Jason whenever he felt that relief.

"Let's go back to the base," Jason announced. Perhaps some sparring practice could take his mind off of those thoughts.

 _Murderer,_ the voice whispered once more.

* * *

 _Piper ran as fast as she could. With every escape, she became faster, her legs elongating as her woman's body developed in curves and strength._

 _It had been a year since she last seen her father._

 _By now she knew why her beauty was so dangerous, why her father wanted to keep her in hiding for so long._

 _I'm sorry, Father, Piper thought, burning tears rolling down her cheeks. She had always resented that her father sheltered her, always being overprotective. Too late did she learn that it was out of love that he had to do so, not out of jealousy of her beauty._

 _An arrow flew out of the dark and pierced her thigh. Piper tried to muffle her cry but her voice was full of anguish as the flare of burning pain spread up her leg._

 _She was too slow. A net flew wide over her, preventing any escape. She kicked out her legs and fists, ignoring the throbbing pain from her pierced thigh. Then her chin met a sword._

 _"Another move and your head will be separated from your body." The soldier said._

 _She was quickly surrounded by other soldiers. Romans, by the looks of it. Dirtied purple garb peeked here and there under stained silver armor._

 _"What should we do with her, General Grace?" The soldier holding the sword to her chin spoke._

 _A tall man walked into view. Piper shivered as the man approached. There was something foul about the man. It was the menacing air he gave off from the dark beady eyes._

 _"Take her."_

 _Hands reached towards her again, collapsing her further into the net. Piper screamed as the wires cut into her skin._

"Piper, Piper!" Hands shook her awake. "It's time to wake up. You decent?"

Piper groaned as sunlight from her open tent flap hit her face. "Yeesh, Leo. Why ask if I'm decent if you're already inside my tent, anyways?" She stifled a yawn.

Leo grinned impishly. "Sorry, Beauty Queen. Now, come on. We're breaking up camp. There's been sightings of a monster army to the east of here and we're being dispatched immediately. Annabeth wants us to scout the area head first, and we're going to combine with some Romans."

"With the Romans?"

The son of Hephaestus shrugged. "You know that not everyone agrees with the alliance. Some of the Romans don't agree, and some of us Greeks don't see eye to eye as well. If we show a combined force, maybe it'll change their minds."

"Fair enough. Now get out so I can change. And stop calling me Beauty Queen!"

Leo flashed another mischievous grin and left before Piper could throw another pillow at him.

Piper took a deep breath as Leo left. She had another nightmare from her past. She had hoped that with time those nightmares would fade away, but with the Romans so close they had increased in frequency.

Her skin buzzed with excitement. Piper pinched her arm, willing her power to diminish. It was that power of hers combined with the cursed gift of beauty from her mother that had brought all her troubles and stress in life. She took a few deep breaths, meditating so her power lessened. It would not due for her to unleash another wave of lust like she did just a few weeks prior on the battlefield.

Collecting herself, Piper got dressed. It was time to face the Romans, her once sworn enemies.

* * *

It was an odd sight, the Roman and Greek camps traveling alongside each other to their new destination. Flags of purple and orange were hoisted in the air, signifying the union of the former rivals. Piper's charmspeaking abilities were needed occasionally here and there to settle disputes, but to the relief of the leaders from both camps, they were only minor.

Still, the presence of Romans nearby unnerved Piper. She had a feeling that she could somewhat trust Reyna, who was riding on her pegasus twenty feet ahead. The dark-haired female carried herself with a grace that many nobles would kill to emulate. But Octavian, on the other hand, perturbed Piper. Though he claimed to be a descendant of Apollo, he was like a watered-down version of the sons of Apollo in the Greek camp.

And then there was the one called Jason Grace.

Speaking of him, Piper slid off the bronze metal dragon she was riding with Leo.

"I'll be back," she called to Leo's surprised expression.

Annabeth and Percy, each riding their respective pegasus, raised their eyebrows but didn't say anything as Piper jogged past.

"Jason," she called out.

Jason's anemoi thuellai or storm spirit horse neighed as she jogged up to its side. Flickers of lightning flashed from its mane to its tail as its grey stormy body solidified. Piper resolved not to get too close to the horse.

"Woah, there," Jason calmed his horse down as the horse bucked up. "Sorry about that," he assured Piper. His blue eyes stared down at her curiously. With the sun shining, his golden hair rippled like the rich color of wheat. Piper blinked. He was a handsome man, almost like a prince on a white horse, except that his horse kept materializing in and out of solidness.

Reyna paused her horse, but Jason waved her ahead when the other praetor send him a questioning glance. The female praetor studied the two, as though unsure of what she was seeing, but then she took off with her pegasus. Octavian sent her a sneer as he passed by, all of which Piper ignored.

"No, I apologize. I didn't mean to startle your horse. Here," Piper said somewhat breathlessly. She was still trotting along with the horse until Jason slowed the horse down to a walking pace. They couldn't stop completely or else the procession would be stalled. Piper reached out her hand and Jason instinctively grabbed the copper coin she offered. "Thanks for helping me out the other day."

"Oh, that's okay, I told you not to worry about it." Jason tried to offer it back, but Piper had already retracted her hand.

"No, please do take it. I always repay my debts," Piper smiled.

Jason stared at her for a few seconds. She felt herself get nervous. Did she have a nose hair sticking out or something? Did Leo paint a mustache on her face again and she hadn't noticed? Jason finally grinned and pocketed the copper coin. The scar on his lips stretched, but it only made him look more human and less like an unreachable god chiseled from marble. He looked more comfortable that way. Gods were fickle and sometimes untrustworthy. Piper blinked, getting her thoughts back to rationale.

"I um, I should let you get back to riding." Piper turned to head back to Leo, but Leo, Annabeth, and Piper had long made their way past and were now in the front of the troops. "Oh, drat."

Jason glanced ahead. "Do you want to ride with me?"

"What?"

Her expression must have been comical as Jason laughed out loud. His voice was deep, ringing like the rich sound of clanging golden bells. "It'll be faster. Or you can catch a ride with the Hermes or Mercury troops."

Piper made a face, watching as the Hermes children pickpocketed the Mercury troops and vice versa. The majority of the disputes she had settled that day were caused by the children of the god of thieves.

Jason extended his hand, his smile warm. "Offer still stands."

Piper looked at the hand, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. The logical part of her brain screamed no, that the Roman shouldn't be trusted. But she was a daughter of Aphrodite, where emotion sometimes overtipped the logical. She willed her power to diminish, keeping it under control. Then her fingers were lacing itself with Jason's and he gracefully pulled her into his horse.

At first, Piper was scared that she would fall straight through the horse made of stormy air (Leo would insert some joke about flatulence here) and fall straight on her butt. Somehow the horse was solid enough. She sat in front of Jason, unsure of where to place her hands.

"Here, you can hold the reins loosely."

Piper obeyed gently gripping the leather reins, not too keen on leading on a horse made of mist. She startled as Jason's arms encircled her to stabilize her. His hands held the ends of the reins so she was not truly controlling his horse.

Piper sucked in a quiet breath. She never liked being so close to others, particularly males. It had taken her weeks to get used to Annabeth's and Rachel's hugs, in fear that she would accidentally let loose her power. But now Jason's chest was pressed here and there against her back. Granted, they were both wearing armor that clanked against each other as the horse trotted.

"His name is Tempest," Jason said quietly.

Piper gently stroked what would be Tempest's mane. It felt weird, petting a horse made out of wind and mist. Tempest whinnied, tossing his hair in the air.

"I do believe Tempest likes you." Jason laughed as Tempest neighed again.

"I've never met an anemoi thuellai before, let alone see someone riding on top of one." Piper murmured. But it would make sense that a son of Jupiter would ride such a horse.

"Ah, he's what we would call a ventus. Do you want to see how fast he can go? Hiyah!" Jason cried.

With a triumphant neigh, Tempest kicked off its hooves and Piper found them streaking along the trail. Tempest was fast, but he was also skilled in dodging obstacles. They galloped past soldiers and other riders with ease. Piper found herself laughing. She liked horses, but the Greek army had been lacking in supplies, horses being one of them. She always rode with Leo or Annabeth. sharing their steeds.

"Hiyah!" Jason commanded again and then Piper's heart stopped. Tempest's hooves lifted off the ground and the horse was flying. They circled in the sky, dipping here and there in graceful swan dives.

Piper laughed out loud again, enjoying how the wind tugged at her braid and rushed past her face. "This is amazing!" She said.

Tempest did another swan dive in answer, neighing as he tucked in his hooves.

"Show off," Jason chuckled. "We should head back down to the ground soon. Being in the sky for too long can make you a target-"

An arrow whizzed, striking Tempest in the muzzle. Suddenly the horse dispersed into millions of air particles.

Piper's scream was ripped out of her throat as she found herself hurtling towards the ground.

* * *

A/N: Happy end of 2018!


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Enjoy and leave a review! Shoutout to all the readers around the world~

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Piper fell past him, screaming as she pummeled down. Jason grimaced before tucking his head down and following her. He urged the winds to fly him down quicker.

Below him the troops were disintegrating from their neat and organized lines to merge into a mess of orange and purple banners. From his position in the sky, he could tell a horde of monsters were rushing down the hill to greet the Roman and Greek soldiers. It was an ambush.

Jason was pissed to say the least. First, his steed had been shot with an arrow. Then he had accidentally dropped a Greek soldier who was currently falling to her death. So much for trying to strike a friendship, even if he didn't completely trust her.

Within seconds, he tackled Piper, mindful of her flailing arms. His arms enclosed around her waist immediately, slowing their descent.

"Oh my gods, Jason!" Piper's arms latched around him. She was in shock, her brunette hair escaping her braid and flying into the wind. "You can fly?"

Jason grunted in agreement but that was all the sound he could make. It wasn't that Piper was heavy. No, he had more than enough strength to hold them both comfortably. Suddenly, as soon as he had grabbed Piper, his body was overtaken with a familiar feeling of lust, the same feeling as when he had faced her on the battlefield.

A ripple of pleasant warmth spread throughout his body until a certain part of his anatomy began to stiffen. His arms involuntarily wrapped around Piper and the feeling intensified. Jason's intuition told him that if it were not for their armor putting some distance between their bodies, he would be completely incapacitated.

"W-what? Jason!" Piper cried out.

Since the power washed over him, he was losing control of his winds. The ground rushed quickly to them, much faster than they wanted. Suddenly, all he could think of were the smell of Piper's hair, like lavender and fresh air, and her soft arms wrapped around his shoulders. He briefly wondered if the rest of her body was soft and pliant underneath the armor.

"Jason, focus!"

Piper closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stay calm despite the fact that they were hurtling to their deaths in the air. Jason was mesmerized by her long dark eyelashes, casting shadows underneath her hypnotizing and pretty eyes. As swiftly as the feelings of lust had overtaken his body, the sensation vanished. Jason managed to command his winds just in time for Piper and he to land safely on the ground. He tumbled to the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a stop.

"Come on, we have to help!" Piper clambered up to her feet first. Drawing her knife, she headed straight to a circle of empousai that surrounded two Apollo soldiers.

Jason shook his head, then followed. But what the hell had happened?

There was no time for such thoughts. He whipped out his golden sword, gleaming in its wicked sharpness. He called for the winds to lift him over a group of soldiers attacking to where the fighting needed support most. He landed as a spinning tornado of wind and debris in the middle of horde of harpies harassing a circle of Ceres children.

Splat! Two unfortunate harpies went down and three more erupting into a flurry of golden dust when they met the blade of his sword.

"Show off," someone yelled. He saw the elfish young man from earlier. He was the one who once threw a fart bomb at him. Leo, wasn't it? He rode atop of a bronze metal dragon that blew flames from its mouth. The dragon charred five harpies into blackened feathers and chomped on another happily.

"Seriously, and I'm the show-off?" Still, he was glad to not be on the recipient of one of Leo's specially crafted devices again.

Leo let out an exuberant war-cry as the dragon shot several jets of fire in the air. "Let's get those monsters. Ten points for every monster you get!" He charged off.

Jason stabbed and parried a few spear strikes, then followed Leo. He didn't see Piper again.

In another half-hour, the monster army's surprise assault had turned into a poor decision on their part. The fields were scattered with monster dust. Casualties were light, with no deaths fortunately. Still, there were a few soldiers with heavy wounds. Jason appreciated that the Greeks had a large battalion of Apollo children, much more than the five the Romans had, who were very effective as both archers and battle medics. Within seconds the small injuries he had gained vanished into healthy skin as one Apollo medic muttered a healing blessing on him.

"What was that?" Reyna demanded when he came out of the medic tent.

"What was what? Reyna, you should get that shoulder healed." An ugly red slash was on her collarbone but it didn't seem to bother the praetor.

She waved his concerns off. "No, I meant flying with that-that Greek soldier. What were you thinking? You could have given our position away."

Jason sighed. He was not in the mood for this. "You're right. I wasn't thinking logically. But we would have taken a surprise-attack from the monsters regardless. It was like they knew what position we were coming from and exactly where to hide. An army of that size was fairly well-organized."

Reyna's brows furrowed. "You're right. I don't like that they knew where we were going."

Jason let out an inward sigh of relief, having gotten Reyna to forget her initial question. Somehow he didn't think it was appropriate to bring up the power that he had felt from Piper.

Why did he fly with Piper? No one had gotten that privilege. Even Reyna had only ridden on his horse once in a time of emergency, but he had never taken her flying on his horse at all. She often flew on her own pegasus.

But with Piper? She had seemed so free, so full of laughter when they flew. And the way her body felt pressed up against his...

Jason pulled his fingers through his hair, unsure of what was going on.

* * *

Piper didn't see Jason for a few days after that fiasco. Didn't look for him, didn't want to see him.

After all, she'd accidentally let loose her power, causing him to drop her. It was all her fault, really. She had been so surprised when the horse had lifted off into the air. She'd flown once or twice, but was never confident enough to fly on a pegasus by herself. She preferred fighting on foot mainly.

"I'm a little worried," Annabeth was saying over the campfire she shared with Piper as they ate their dinner. "It was like those monsters knew exactly where we were going. And now that there were sightings of the monsters, now they vanish completely."

"I suppose they expected reinforcements to come," Percy mused. He took a bite of grilled sea bass. Once she had asked if it was okay for a son of Poseidon to eat a creature of the sea. _Just the criminal ones,_ he had said seriously. Piper wondered what crime the poor sea bass had committed. This was why she was vegetarian, less animals to hurt and less politics of the sea she had to think about. She took the baked apple and bread Leo offered gratefully. "Hermes children are fast messengers. The monsters probably knew once word got out that they were pillaging in the area that we would come."

"I suppose." But Annabeth didn't sound convinced. Her grey eyes eventually landed on Piper, who tried not to look suspicious. Annabeth had asked Piper what was going on with Jason. Piper gave her the abridged version of the truth, but not the part where she had let loose her power. She would be a certified crazy witch if the truth got out.

But she was discovering that it was harder to control her power around people carrying sexual tension. And gods, did Percy and Annabeth have a lot between them. Even now, Piper caught Percy sneaking looks at Annabeth here and there. The daughter of Athena's cheeks would flush whenever she felt his gaze on her. Not to mention, the pair were nearly inseparable. During battles they would stay at least somewhat near each other, helping each other out. Piper's brow furrowed. It had been nearly two years since _that_ incident. Percy stayed by Annabeth's side whenever he could since then.

Piper and Leo exchanged mutual smirks when Percy and Annabeth started arguing again. On the surface, their arguments seemed petty. But a more detailed observer would note how the pair's eyes sparkled with warmth and their tones were laughing and amused. Piper even thought that Percy's eyes looked more lovingly at Annabeth than usual. It was around this point that she and Leo would usually make a hasty getaway, hoping that perhaps the pair would finally get together.

Perhaps they needed a little push. She was a daughter of Aphrodite after all.

She and Leo made some excuse about turning in. The other pair bade their good nights and went straight back into arguing. Just before the two were out of sight, Piper focused on her power, then let just a little float inside Percy and Annabeth. With a small smirk, she followed Leo.

"Ugh, I stink." Leo grimaced, looking at his oil-splattered pants.

"Didn't Percy say something about a large river nearby?" She wouldn't mind a nice bath herself. Percy had mentioned that he had struck a deal with the naiads living in the river so the armies could use the water in exchange for driving off some ogres that were building dams in the river.

"Ooh, that's right. I like the way you think, Beauty Queen. I'll heat up the bathtubs at once." Leo quickly scurried off, laughing as she yelled at him for calling her Beauty Queen again.

Piper soon made her way down the river. The river bubbled cheerfully, and a naiad with floating brown hair waved hi to her. As much as Piper wanted to bathe right then and there, she never liked bathing with others, even if Leo's hot water bathtub was extremely tempting. Soon, she approached a little cove. A small stream branched off of the main river, gathering into a cheerful pool before the water headed away in another small creek. Thankfully, the water was running so the pool was nice and clear instead of being murky. Trees and bushes surrounded the pool, making for a nice curtain that was perfect for a private dip.

Piper stripped off her clothes, leaving them on the shore and shivering a little when her feet dipped into the cool water. With the stink of travelling and fighting, she didn't smell any worse than the other soldiers. But it was nice to wash herself. Clean water, even if a bit chilly, was always much appreciated.

She swam a few laps in the pool before floating on her back. The stars were beautiful and she easily located quite a few constellations.

She never liked exposing her body too much. Not with the whip scars still marring her back. It had been ten years and the scars hadn't faded completely. Piper lifted one foot out of the water. A small circle of scar tissue was still visible around her ankle, though it was a lot better than when she had first gotten those scars.

The unmistakable sign of someone wading in the stream caught her attention. Piper cursed. She was on the other side of the pool and her clothes happened to be from the opening of the stream where the intruder was approaching. Piper made a quick decision to swim out to the other little creek instead. She could hide for a bit and then use her charmspeak to get the person away.

The bushes parted, and a male ventured out.

* * *

A/N: Who's the male?


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Enjoy and leave a review!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

The black-haired male came into view. Percy.

He must not have seen her clothing. She had been so surprised by Percy's entrance that she completely forgot that she could use her charmspeak.

Then desire hit her like she was being slammed into a wall. Her knees automatically buckled and it was all she could do to try not to make a noise. Annabeth must be close by.

Piper quickly turned away, swimming a little down the creek. She had to get away before her power was let loose.

* * *

Percy dropped into the pool like a rock, enjoying how the water gave him strength. He didn't even bother taking off all his clothes, just his tunic, leaving his loincloth. He was drained from the past couple days, fighting off monsters and during sparring practices with Annabeth.

Annabeth.

That woman was going to drive him crazy. They had just been joking around, in one of their usual arguments-but-not-really-arguing when he had gotten the urge to kiss her. That was also typical of the night. There were many times when Percy had wanted to kiss her. But this time, the light from the fire had cast a pretty glow on her tanned skin and blond hair. He tried not to stare at her too much, but suddenly he was beginning to notice the soft curves of her body usually hidden underneath her armor.

He had to leave shortly after that, much to Annabeth's surprise. It wasn't that he didn't want to touch her. But he didn't want her to think that he only wanted her for her body. Every time Annabeth smiled at him, even sardonically, or when their hands met by accident or not, he was tempted to kiss her.

The truth was, he was hopelessly in love with her, a daughter of his father's rival, for the past four years. She was intelligent, brave, and had no hesitation about jumping into danger to save her friends.

Just like she did for her past lover, Luke.

A small ugly sprite of jealousy worked into Percy every time he thought of that.

"W-what are you doing here?"

Percy popped his head out of the pool. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that Annabeth was there. She was blushing, turning away slightly when she realized that he wasn't fully clothed.

"U-um, I'll just leave."

"Annabeth." Percy wasn't sure when his voice had gotten so deep. Her back stiffened as her grey eyes widened. Still waist deep in the pond, Percy extended one hand towards her. "Stay."

"But...", Annabeth looked down at her clothes, apparently determined to look anywhere but at Percy's chest.

"Please." His voice was gentle. Perhaps he was just tired of dancing around. Somehow he just knew tonight that he wanted to let her know his feelings, Luke or no Luke.

Annabeth stared at him. She waded into the pool, not minding her that her chiton were getting wet. The water was a bit chilly, but Percy pulled her into his embrace until she was sitting in his lap.

"Percy," she murmured, unsure of what was going on.

He tugged her closer to his chest until her head was tucked underneath his chin. Slowly, she relaxed in his hug. There would have been a time that she wouldn't be caught dead in his arms, back when they were enemies, but those times were long gone along with her pride and shyness around him.

"I was scared today," he admitted.

"Scared? The great Perseus Jackson scared?" Annabeth teased lightly. The water was still cold, so she snuggled closer to his warmth despite his nude chest. His heartbeat was steady and comforting.

"Shush," Percy said, amused. "But seriously, Wise Girl. When I saw you go down underneath that Cyclopes the other day, I wasn't sure what do to..."

"But I'm safe now. There's nothing to be worried about, and I can protect myself, you know." Annabeth reached up and cupped the side of his jaw. Since the past six years she had known him, he had grown to be more mature and handsome, not that she'd ever admit it to his face. His ego was big enough without her to inflate it.

Percy surprised her by turning his head and kissing the palm of her hand. "I know. But ever since I saw you that night..." His voice faltered as he hugged her tighter. "Did you know how scared I was back then? Seeing him carry your broken body like that? I thought you'd died."

That night had been one of Percy's worse nights in his life. Annabeth had disappeared for nearly a week to save Luke. Luke had been a traitor, using Annabeth and selling out the Greeks to a horde of monsters in return for the power to overtake the city of Athens. In the end, Luke had been betrayed by his own bloodthirsty companions and kidnapped when the Greeks discovered he was the culprit.

It was the worst argument that he ever had with Annabeth, arguing that Luke didn't deserve to be saved. But as stubborn as she was, she left in secret only to come back with barely alive as Luke dragged her back to camp. And even then, Luke deserved to be killed for treason. But she would never forgive Percy if he gave the orders for Luke to be killed as punishment. So Luke was exiled, with Percy's threat that he would be killed should he ever approach Annabeth again.

It took a month for her to be fully healed. During that time, he stayed by her side as much as he could, feeding her nectar and ambrosia as needed. "Percy," she had murmured once in her sleep. That word had given him hope, even when she murmured _his_ name much more.

Slowly, she recovered. Her smiles and eyes held pain for a while, and he knew that she was thinking about Luke. And then the pain lessened, and she was giving him full-blown smiles full of sunshine. The hug and the small peck on the cheek she had given him on his birthday was one of the best days of his life.

Then during that ambush, seeing her golden hair disappear underneath an ogre, had him seeing red. He didn't know how he got there so fast, but with one sword swipe, the ogre turned into a flurry of dust. Annabeth had only been stunned, coming to in a few seconds, but those seconds were heart-wrenching to him. The sight of the normally strong woman turned into a battered and fragile woman had been traumatizing, bringing back memories he didn't need.

"I'm here. I'm safe." Her voice was tender.

Annabeth shivered, remembering how many monsters she had escaped during Luke's rescue. Even with her battle helm that granted her invisibility abilities, she had barely gotten back with her life.

But Luke was now a distant memory, a blip of golden hair and blue eyes. Now her life was filled with sarcastic humor and sea-green eyes that gazed her with adoration. She was a daughter of Athena, for gods' sakes. She knew what those glances had meant.

But she was afraid, too. Scared of losing another love and being betrayed. Annabeth was always the one to take a step backward whenever Percy took a step forward.

Despite being in the freshwater pond, Percy always smelled faintly of the sea, salty but with a crisp air. While his heart was steady, hers was still conflicted. "I-I'm just scared," she admitted.

"I'm here, too, Wise Girl. I'll always be here. I promise." Percy leaned his head down until their foreheads touched. Her eyes fluttered close and she hugged him a little tighter. She wanted to believe him, to trust him. She could already entrust her life to him, could count on him to have her back in battles. She would immediately jump into whatever trouble there was to rescue him. But could she trust him with her heart? Her heart had already been trampled to pieces once, and it had taken months for her heart to heal.

Percy leaned down a few inches and captured her lips with his. She forgot about her worries for the time being. It was not the first time that they had kissed, but it was the first time that Annabeth didn't freeze for a second and then push Percy away. She leaned into the kiss, hand hesitantly entangling in his inky black hair. Gods, he was amazing.

Both of them weren't sure whatever magic was taking hold of their bodies, but they didn't mind it. Percy's tongue swiped the bottom of her lip before he nipped it slightly, asking for permission. His tongue then delved into her mouth, teasing out a light moan that made her lightheaded. One of his hands was placed on the small of her back, holding her. Luke never made her feel this way. So revered, so worshipped.

"Don't," Percy whispered. "Don't think of him. Just stay with me, please."

How he knew she was thinking of Luke, Annabeth would never know. Percy's voice was so light, almost heartbroken in his plea. She kissed him again, much harder and urgent. All thoughts of Luke drifted out of her mind as Percy held her, his lips making everything so woozy. The water may have been cold at one point, but her body was hot, craving more heat.

"Stay with me, Annabeth." His emerald eyes were so earnest, so full of life, so different from Luke's blue eyes.

Her answer caught in her throat. Her own grey eyes were brimming with unshed tears. When had she been so afraid? She was a daughter of Athena, but all of her intelligence couldn't tell her what to do. She wanted to trust him, she really did. But she was just so damn scared that he would leave.

Percy sensed her hesitation, but he didn't want to push her any further.

"Will you...will you wait for me?" Annabeth murmured. "Until I'm ready?"

"Of course. I'd wait until the end of earth for you, Wise Girl." Her eyes fluttered close as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

He cradled her in his arms as she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and neck. For now, they were both content with this.

* * *

Piper half-waded, half-scrambled away, trying not to make too much noise. The sensation of whatever Percy and Annabeth were feeling was much too powerful. If she wasn't careful, she could unleash a powerful wave of desire and passion that could affect the combined Greco-Roman army.

She shivered in the creek, as the water only came up to her waist. She inspected her surroundings. A bunch of trees, bushes and rocks. Maybe some kind nymph could offer her something to wear until Percy and Annabeth were done? But nymphs were fickle, more likely to turn her into a laughingstock. Her charmspeak could help though.

She dipped back below the creek, trying to keep her teeth from chattering so much. For sure, she was going to catch a cold or something. It was autumn and the temperatures were cooling as the seasons changed slowly to winter.

"Piper?"

She froze, her hands flying to cover her chest.


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Woah. Already over 2000 views. Thanks ya'll 3 Enjoy and leave a review!

* * *

Jason was just trying to find a quiet place to bathe. He'd been dodging Reyna all day, which he knew wasn't fair to her, but he just wasn't in the mood to talk about furthering their friendship further or why he decided to take Piper on a flight.

Reyna had headed to the part of the river sectioned off for Roman females so he headed the opposite direction, following the half-moon's light down the riverbank, which was why he didn't expect to see any females in this area.

For a moment, all Jason could see was white scars like whip marks on a female's back. Then he recognized the nape of the neck and the luscious dark hair. After all, just a few days ago that neck had been just mere inches away.

But it was the whip scars that captured his attention. There were about five or six, and evidently very old.

"Piper? Are you alright?" She stilled, then sank deeper into the creek up to her neck. It occurred to him that she was bathing, and probably would not appreciate his intrusion. "Oh, gods, Piper, I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

The dark haired woman whimpered before curling into a ball in the river. He realized that something was quite wrong with her. "Piper!"

"No! Don't come any closer. Please-hngh!" Piper whimpered again, clutching herself as curled into a ball.

"I can go get help!"

"No!" She cried out. "You can't tell anyone! Please, just leave before I...," Piper moaned again, trying to cover her nude body. "Mmm...hhngh."

As he turned his blushing face away, the wave of lust washed over him. Just like the past times, he was overtaken by surprise. Jason dropped to his knees as hot blood coursed through his veins. His member started to engorge and he felt his loins tighten. Without his armor to muffle certain parts of his anatomy, he was finding it hard to constrict his urges.

Never one to swear, Jason muttered some choice words just then. Every time he moved, his stiffened member would protest. He glanced up at Piper and froze at the sight. Her back was arched, her dark hair floating in the rushing water. Her hands cupped her breasts, not to hide, but to caress. His breath caught in his throat as she squeezed the delicate flesh. Her armor had always hid the curves below, but now he could see how her voluptuous breasts, just enough to spill over her cupped hands.

Without realizing, he reached for his own length where the erect organ had made a tent in his clothing. He rarely touched himself like this, but something in his bones, like magic seeping into his mind and controlling his body, was commanding him to stroke the fire in his loins. Jason hissed as his hand contacted his length through the cloth, not knowing how wound up and sensitive his flesh felt. His hand encircled his member, hissing as a delicious sensation ran through his body. His thumb rubbed gingerly at the cloth covered tip, growling as his hip involuntarily thrust forward to feel his hand.

Piper softly moaned and he looked up to see her twist one budding nipple with her fingers. Her thumb slowly circled the rosy pink areola before twitching the nipple in between her fingers. Beads of water dripped down all over her body, with one just falling from her dusky nipple. They were like crystal jewels decorating her body, like a naiad in the throes of passion underneath the moonlight.

His hands reached towards her without him thinking, pulling her out of the creek and into his hold. Desire intensified by tenfold as the pair collapsed into a small hollow constructed by the roots of a nearby fig tree.

Just a small bit of sanity was left in his mind, which he credited to the years of harsh Roman training. Jason managed to claw off his purple cloak and wrap it around Piper's body. Though he was in heat, her body was cold. With his thin cloak, the daughter of Aphrodite was still shivering in his arms. He tucked her head underneath his chin, making sure that his cloak wrapped around her shoulders. Thankfully, she was much smaller than him, which allowed the cloak to cover most of her body.

Jason wasn't sure what to do. He tried to concentrate on anything other than her or the sensations threatening to overtake his body, but with her squirming in his lap, it was hard to accomplish. Hesitantly, he lifted his hand and awkwardly soothed her back. If she just needed a moment to come down and regain her powers, he would have to do what he could to help her. Nervously, he listened for noises indicating if anyone was approaching. No other noises other than Piper's soft moans and the cheerful bubbling of the creek.

"I-it's okay. Just breathe. In and out. In and out," Jason murmured. He stroked her hair, brushing a wet strand out of her face.

Eventually, her rapid breathing slowed to a steady pace as he patted her back. She really did feel so small in his arms, much smaller than she had looked on the battlefield. The feeling of lust slowly ebbed away from his body.

"I'm sorry," she said at last, murmuring against his skin. He got goosebumps when her breath brushed against his skin. Her cheeks were flushed, and she refused to look at his eyes.

"It's fine." Jason was still breathless, the last of the desire fading away. Any longer before she calmed down, and he would have been mortified to find himself climax. "I apologize as well. I didn't mean to do all of this." He swept his hand in a general direction, where she was seated firmly on his lap. His erection was slowly coming down, though it was still embarrassing to have her see it. Piper's face flushed and she turned away. She must have felt his bulge directly beneath her.

"No, it was all my fault. Please don't speak of this to anyone," she pleaded. Her eyes looked up at him hopefully.

How could he ever say no when she looked like that? Perhaps it was the charmspeak speaking. "I promise."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Do all children with Aphrodite have this blessing?" In all his years of life, Jason had never met any child of Venus with such abilities.

Piper chuckled darkly. "It's more of a curse than a blessing, trust me." Her eyes turned distant.

"If you don't mind me asking, can you not control your er, power?"

Piper bit the bottom of her lip, and he resisted the urge to kiss that luscious pink lip. Was this the result of her magic? Jason rubbed his forehead, trying to get the last dredges of magic out. "Not fully. Usually when I'm focused, it's easy. But I um, was caught off guard earlier." Her eyes drifted over to the direction the water of the creek flowed.

Jason followed her line of sight. "I'm not sure I understand."

"I-it's nothing. Look, thanks for helping me out." She glanced down at her body, where his purple cloak still covered. "I'll be right back. I left my clothes back there, so I'm going to grab them and come right back."

Then she left him soaked and sitting underneath the fig tree, still wondering what the hell was going on.

Humans were naturally curious, just like Pandora when she unleashed the plague of disease and monsters from the pithos. Even if he did promise her not to speak of what had happened, with so many questions unanswered he still needed to find out more. Even if the Greeks and Romans were aligned, he had his duty to protect his people. Piper's ability posed the threat to debilitate the whole army should the Greeks ever betray the Romans. He hoped they wouldn't.

The crunch of leaves signaled to Piper's return. She was back in her own clothing, holding his purple cloak to take. "Um, thank you again. I'll just be leaving now."

Jason rose up, gently capturing her wrist before she could run off. "Wait. While I promised not to tell anyone, and I do keep my promises, you owe me a more thorough explanation of what's going on. This isn't the first time that this happened. Back when we were flying-"

"I-I can't." She tugged her wrist away desperately. Piper's multifaceted eyes were wild in distress. "I-I'm sorry, Jason. Please, don't follow me!" She ran off, as Jason's legs suddenly felt like steel, rooted to the ground.

It took ten minutes before her charmspeak wore off. Jason made his way back to his camp after a quick bath, still mulling over what had happened.

Jason analyzed the information he had gathered tonight. Analysis was a habitual routine to him. Analyse what went right with battles, what went wrong.

Something or someone had startled the daughter of Aphrodite, and she unleashed her power unwillingly. Somehow, he had been trapped underneath this spell. It appeared to happen whenever something surprised her. Otherwise, to control her ability, she needed to calm down and concentrate. He wasn't surprised at all about her refusal to tell him anything. He'd only just recently met her, and nobody would in their damn mind would tell a stranger his or her life secrets right away. He hoped he hadn't broken whatever burgeoning trust had been between them.

"Jason, you're back." It was Reyna. "I wanted to talk to you about what we were talking about earlier."

"Not tonight, Reyna, I'm sorry. Good night."

Reyna appeared shocked, but Jason barely noticed as he headed into his praetor's tent. His mind was mulling on the whip scars on Piper's back. He had seen such scars before, a long time ago. But Piper's wounds were old, while those in his memory were fresh wounds, scarlet red and dripping rubies of blood down the unfortunate souls' backs. Suck whip marks were uncommon, usually on the backs of slaves that his family's residence once owned. Perhaps Piper had been a slave before. He wouldn't be surprised if that were true,

But the exact pattern of whip marks seemed familiar. Where had he seen those marks?

* * *

Piper ran so fast back to camp that she barely registered that she startled Annabeth who was about to walk into Percy's tent. She didn't stop running until she dove into her own tent, hiding herself under her blanket.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She cursed herself.

No doubt Jason thought that she was strange, an anomaly, a witch. Just a few insults from her past used against her by the cruel people she met. She had used her powers on the battlefield before, but never had she lost control like that. Piper always made sure to manage her powers in the years she had discovered her godly heritage. But ever since the Greek armies had clashed with the Romans, she was beginning to lose control over the slightest things.

Piper shivered, remembering how she had felt the desire escalate when Jason had tugged her from the cold creek, pulling her into his hug. He had embraced her like that once, a long time ago. But it was better if he didn't remember her.

She tucked her brown hair over her ears and clasped her hands together in prayer. _Please, Mother, hear my prayer. Tell me how I can control this blessing of yours._


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Happy New Year, enjoy and leave a review!

* * *

 ** _Chapter 6:_**

 _Her body hurts. Hurts like it never has before. Lines of fire spread across her back, like hellhounds licking fire up her spine. The whip cracks down again. She loses count of how many times the whip has slashed across her back._

 _She almost wished to die just then._ _Anything. Anything to stop the pain._

 _Then she slips into unconsciousness, and the inky darkness is welcome as the pain ebbs away. But it's only temporary._

 _Cold, chilly water is rudely thrown onto her back. Someone is screaming. Loud._

 _The female voice is piercing in the air, and she wishes the screaming female would just stop. Just stop screaming and stop showing weakness. Then something slaps her mouth and she tastes the iron of blood on her tongue. The screaming stops, but she refuses to open her eyes._

 _She wished she wasn't so weak. But she's too cowardly to slip into the black depths of death. Every time the angry man swears at her, hits at her, taunts her with insults, she refuses. Refuses to beg for her life. Her father's face is there, at the doors of death. But his stance isn't welcoming; the arms he extends aren't one of an embrace. He turns her away, as if telling her it's too early for her to meet him._

 _She screams why, why he doesn't love her, why he doesn't want to see him. Her father only smiles wanely, and then he vanishes._

 _Her body is broken. Her mind refuses to extinguish its own life._

 _Then the whipping stops as her body flails around. Her hands reach for anything, punch, scratch, squeeze for anything to stop the pain. She hears a crash, like somebody stumbling against some sort of furniture. A body falls._

 _There is silence for a while, except for her own heavy breathing._

 _S_ _oft hands reach for her. They're warm, but she hates the feeling. The touch of men, scrambling to tear away her clothes. The hands touch one of her wounds, and she screams again. The person mutters an apology, and the hands do not brush her back again. But they hold her up, and she feels herself being carried like a baby._

 _She opens her eyes up and her savior slowly comes into focus. Golden hair, like the wheat fields she was forced to tend to day and night. Her torturer has the same features, but this one is younger. Much younger._

 _Her head goes slack and turns to one side. Then she sees the body. Her mouth opens to scream but no sound comes out. Tears come out instead. But are they tears of horror or relief?_

 _For on the floor is her master. Her owner. Her torturer._

 _He faces the floor, his golden hair splattered with red flecks of blood. A chair lays fallen by his feet as if her master has tripped over it, one of its wooden legs splintered._

 _"Don't look," the savior says, his voice grim._

 _She turns back to him. His voice is pained, and his eyes are wild. Wild with fear like hers was._

 _"Outside," she manages to whisper._

 _She does not want to die in this slave compound. She could feel the darkness overtake her, and she is prepared to meet the ghosts of the Underworld. Perhaps her savior will listen to her request. She wants to see the sky for the very last time. Instead, her eyes meet a sky-blue gaze before her mind fades to unconsciousness._

* * *

Piper woke up to a chill blanketing the area. She shivered, pulling on a soft cloak for its warmth. During breakfast, the Greek leaders discussed traveling to the borders of the Greek and Roman territories.

"Not everyone believes that we signed a treaty," Annabeth grumbled. "We've been getting reports that there are still skirmishes along the borders. If we show support together, that should stop the fights."

Leo leaned over to Piper and whispered in her ear. "Think something happened to them last night?" He nods to the direction of Annabeth and Percy, their heads bowed together as they pored over a map. "I saw Annabeth coming out of Percy's tent this morning. And her hair was all tangled!"

Piper managed to keep her blush down. When she had gone to grab her clothes from the little pool, Percy and Annabeth were already gone. But she had a feeling that she knew what sorts of things had transpired, especially since she prompted such things to happen. And karma hit her not too long after that. Gods, she was never going to be able to face Jason again. "Something probably did happen between them then."

"I don't think anything too saucy happened though. Pity. There were absolutely no lewd noises last night, and my tent was near Percy's." Leo lobbed another fireball at the campfire, smirking at Piper's grimace. The area of warmth spread.

"I didn't need to know about that. Ugh, now I have to get rid this image in my mind."

"Why so embarrassed, Beauty Queen? Aren't you a child of Aphrodite? Can't you tell when two people are in love or something? Or like whose someone's true love is?"

"If I could tell you somebody's true love, then you'd probably be with your intended and you'd stop hitting on pretty girls."

"Hey, the ladies love the Leoster."

Piper laughed, nearly choking on her bread. "The Leoster? In your dreams." She thought of her own dreams and grew somber. "So where exactly by the Greco-Roman border are we heading to?"

"To the Epirus mountains, apparently."

Piper's face darkened. She abhorred that place, where bad memories lay in waiting.

Leo grimaced as well, brushing off the crumbs from his clothes as he stood up. "I know. I don't like it either."

He, too, harbored nothing but hatred for the home of his former slave master.

* * *

"I suppose you'll like going back to your family's villa," Reyna commented as the praetors overlooked the legion's morning training. "How long has it been since you've been back?"

"Ten years." He kicked at a stone, watching as as it bounced over the dying grass.

"That's a long time. And to think you've been with the legion ever since."

"Yeah," he said, smiling softly.

If Jason was being honest, he would never want to go back to his family's villa. Not like it had ever felt like his family cared about him, other than his half-sister Thalia, and even Thalia had her own family with the huntresses of Artemis. His mother had passed away when he was only six, while his uncle, his mother's older brother, was busy conquering lands and laying waste to its people. He had been thankful that his uncle was often out in battle, for the few times the general was home in the villa brought only pain. The legion was the closest thing to family for him.

"Mark, don't forget to strike when you block with your shield!" Reyna called out.

Jason watched as Mark, a son of Venus, struggled to block attacks from his partner. Hmm, a son of Venus. He wondered if Mark had ever heard of such abilities that Piper had. At the very least, it couldn't hurt to ask. Mark was the oldest of the Venus children, and there were only three of them.

As soon as practice was over, Jason caught up with Mark.

"Oh, hey, Jason. Sorry, I just don't seem to be improving on the battlefield," Mark said sheepishly. He rubbed his dark brown hair, his handsome features contorted into a guilty frown. Ever since he was nearly captured by a monster, the son of Venus focused less on taking care of his appearance and more on training. Jason didn't even have the heart to tell Mark that his hair stuck out in odd angles after removing his battle helm.

"No, man, you're doing great! You managed to block at least half of the attacks. A couple more practices, and you'll be parrying attacks!"

"You think so?" Mark looked hopefully.

"Of course! Hey, I wanted to ask you about something that I hope you can help me out with," Jason said.

"Oh, sure, what do you need?" The brunette asked curiously. It wasn't every day that the praetor sought out a common demigod like he was. Mark was just glad he wasn't in trouble for sucking ass at fighting.

Jason looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I wanted to ask you about a power that children of Venus or Aphrodite have."

Mark's face darkened so quickly that Jason wondered if he had tread on a sensitive topic. "If Octavian is talking shit about charmspeak, then you can tell him to shove his words in his ass where shit belongs."

Jason blinked at Mark's harsh words. The normally calm demigod was nearly red in the face. What had happened there? "Um, no, I wasn't going to ask you about charmspeak. Has Octavian been harassing you about it?"

Mark muttered something unflattering towards the augur. "It's nothing. But if you aren't talking about charmspeak, what Venus ability are you talking about?"

"It's about the ability to induce feelings of want or lust in others, as well as in the caster themselves." It was amazing that Jason was able to say such a thing without blushing.

Mark paused in thinking. "Hmm, that's a rare blessing given by mother. It's usually only given in times when the human populace is dwindling."

Jason blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Well, you know how we Romans and the Greeks have been fighting for years now, right? It's taking a toll on both sides, even if we don't admit it. More and more people are being pulled in the army, and now we've got these monsters that are trying to overrun us. Less and less people are farming, growing food to sustain the nation and towns just keep getting razed and razed. No doubt the number of citizens has decreased. So, Mother sometimes bestows one or two of her children with such blessings so the human population number can go back up. Causes people to have urges to find compatible partners and er, well, reproduce. But, the blessing can only be used once in a lifetime and it only affects people within very close range of the caster and up to about a dozen people."

Jason frowned, remembering that Piper had more than one occasion had let loose her spell of desire. His whole Cohort, around forty warriors, had fallen to their knees at the spell. "So they can't constantly use such blessings?"

Mark shook his head adamantly before reluctantly telling the truth. "Well, okay. This is just a legend that I have heard. Sometimes, a child of Venus can persistently choose to invoke such powers of inducing lust. Usually, when such a child is born, it's taken as an indicator that something bad is going to happen, like a huge war, famine, disease, or whatever calamity that it is. Rome was founded by Romulus, a child of Venus, so Mother would not want us to fall, so the blessings are there as a precaution." Mark looked curiously as Jason. "Such powers are extremely rare, and hasn't been bestowed since nearly a hundred years ago. I only knew about it because my father was an actor who passed down such stories. Charmspeak is the ability more likely to be granted. Where did you learn of a power like that?"

Ah, that's right. Mark wasn't on the battlefield that day when Piper unleashed her ability against the Romans. "I read about it in a scroll."

Mark stared at him, almost through him, but Jason kept his composure steady. "Jason," Mark turned serious, "if you do know someone like this, that's a very dangerous sign for us all." He turned uneasily, eyes scanning to for any eavesdroppers. "Not only is it a sign of an era of evil, in past history the Romans have always executed those with such powers because they were afraid that the child of Venus was a harbinger of doom."

"That doesn't make sense! The child of Venus should be a sign of fortune, to increase our population!" Jason's head was swimming, already calculating on the next steps to take.

Mark smiled wryly. "Yeah, well, we Romans have always been superstitious people. You want to know what they did to the child of Venus before the execution?" Jason's stomach turned, but Mark persisted. "The stories whispered among us Venus children is that those with such powers are used to cast their spell of fertility and desire, and then killed right at the height of the climax to ensure fertility. The new generation born would be more powerful and healthy than their parents, guaranteeing that the nation lives on."

Jason grabbed Mark so suddenly the young man almost slipped. "Don't breathe a word of this to the others. Not a single word, you hear me? If somebody else asks about what I've asked, don't let them know."

Mark pursed his lips, brushing off Jason's hard grip. "So you do know someone like that. No wonder, with the state of our nations going to shit like this." Mark's gaze steeled. "I'm not going to pry for more information, because I don't want to be a part of this. Children of Venus or Aphrodite, it doesn't matter to me. We're all children of the same goddess, and we should protect each other to the death. There's been too much senseless death. Whenever the child of Venus is killed like that, Mother always curses the people who partook in such murderous activities."

"Do your siblings know about this?"

The brunette shook his head. "They're too young to have heard such tales. Jason, you have to be careful." Mark turned serious. "I've only given you a washed down version of what I know. The stories I've heard of, passed down by my father, they're not pretty. They-they used to force the child of Venus to induce the whole city with desire in violent orgies and depraved activities, and then use the child for their own sick, twisted pleasures before killing the child. You have to protect whoever they are, Jason. My sibling, whoever they are, can be the key to saving our nation from collapse, but I don't want this damn nation to kill off another one of my sibling in cold blood. Mother will curse us all if it were to happen."

Jason's heart stilled. If what Mark said was true, then Piper's life was in extreme danger. There were so many soldiers out on that battlefield when Piper unleashed her power, but thankfully it seemed like no one else knew about the truth that Piper held. And if the rest of the Romans were to find out about her and kill her, then the Greeks would massacre them all.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Enjoy and leave a review!

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 _When she comes to, a gentle voice instructs her to take it easy. All of a sudden, she is awake._

 _"Woah, careful there! You're safe," the voice says. "I'd appreciate it if you don't scratch my eyes out. I'd like to keep them where they belong, thanks. Hey, Will, she's awake." The male voice calls out._

 _She struggles to open her eyes, and the first thing she sees is the dark green-brown fabric stretched above her. Then the owner of the voice comes into view. Blue eyes. No. They are the wrong color. This one has green eyes, green like the forest._

 _"Where-where am I?" Had she gone to heaven? Why was she in a tent on a soft bed?_

 _"You're safe," the boy merely says. He seems like he is around the age that she is. Fourteen? Fifteen? "I'm Percy. We found you near our camp. Looks like there was a slave rebellion going on, but it's over now."_

 _"A rebellion?"_

 _"Yes, but looks like there was a truce. A lot of the slaves escaped here."_

 _Piper is made to swallow some foul-tasting soup as the healer named Will mutters something strange. Her pain feels lessened and the fog in her mind instantly clears. "What-magic?"_

 _Percy laughs and affirms her answer. "I guess you don't know who we are, much less even know who-and what-you are."_

 _Then Will, a lithe teenager with tousled golden hair, and Percy explain about demigods, the children of mortals and the Greek gods. That she is one._

 _"I-I've never met my mother," Piper says, bewildered. The information was all too much. Gods? Her mother, a goddess? This couldn't be happening, could it?_

 _"We don't always get to meet our godly parents," Will says._

 _Then Piper remembers her savior as the two boys leave , holding her in his arms like she was precious cargo. Was he here too?_

 _Percy's eyebrows furrow in thought. "There wasn't anybody around you when you were found. We heard a large noise at the edges of our camp, went to investigate and found you. There was one other escaped slave but I'm not sure if he knows you. His name's Leo. Black hair, probably son of Hephaestus?"_

 _Piper shakes her head. But it was probably best that her Roman savior was not at this Greek camp. Being Greek herself, she was welcome. She would not see him again until they met each other on the battlefield._

* * *

The Greco-Roman army started marching west towards the Epirus mountains the next day. Large Roman eagles circled ahead, scouting for trouble in preparation for ambushes like the one they had before. They were to go around the base of the most southern most mountain before following the coastline to head to the borders of the Greek and Roman nations. Both armies would spend the winter at one of the Roman villas at the border before moving on.

Piper looked up at the high cliffs of the Epirus mountains to her right, grateful that the armies did not have to cross the dangerous paths where Earth giants lay in waiting. Still, the thought of returning to the place where she was once enslaved was not welcoming. Even Leo was somewhat subdued, his hands nervously tinkering on some mechanical doodad as he rode his bronze dragon. Piper had slid off the dragon a few minutes earlier when Leo accidentally unleashed a few spurts of fire.

"Sorry," Leo muttered as Piper brushed a few pieces of ash off of her singed cloak. He scratched at his shoulder where Piper knew had a long scar back gained back when he was a slave. It was an action he always did when he was embarrassed.

"No worries," Piper said, comfortingly patting his arm. It wasn't like she could fully control her own powers either.

Despite the chill of walking, as Festus the bronze dragon offered quite a cozy warm seat, it was nice to walk for a bit and stretch her legs. Rachel and Annabeth both offered to ride with them, but Piper declined. Riding on something made her feel seen. Piper quickly slipped among the Greek ranks, where she couldn't be seen by the Romans. Throughout the whole march, she thought she could feel Jason's gaze on the back of her head.

* * *

"You're staring at her again," Reyna commented as their steeds trotted alongside each other.

"Was I?" Jason wondered. "She caught on fire. I think everyone was staring at her for a bit." Damn, if Reyna noticed that why he was really observing Piper, that could mean bad news. He had to be more careful than that. "Also, is he on fire again?"

"Hmm." Reyna pursed her lips at the thin man riding on the dragon whose hair was now full of flames. "A fire-summoner as a child of Vulcan. That's often a cue for big disasters."

"Legends also say a fire-summoner saved the land from the goddess Khione when she threatened to freeze the whole nation," Jason countered.

Octavian heard his remark and sneered. "Careful, praetor. You don't want to come off as a Graecus-scum sympathizer."

Jason turned a cold gaze on the augur. "Careful, centurion. We forged a treaty with the Greeks, which even your powers of prophecy declared would be beneficial. Or did you forget?"

The blond centurion merely scowled. His horse slowed down its trot until Octavian retreated to his cohort, where his friends and supporters lay the strongest. Jason could feel the augur's glare penetrating through the back of his head.

"Octavian has gotten braver," Reyna commented. Her dislike of Octavian showed in the tight frown lines she gave. "He's acting more and more for his own power than for duty to his nation."

"He needs to be taken down a peg or two," Jason scowled.

Reyna eyed him. "He is partially right in perceiving that you do seem to be getting friendly with the Greeks quite quickly."

Jason snorted. "I don't think there's anything wrong with making friends. It'll help establish trust and bond between both our nations. Both our sides have been decimated."

"Then what do you think of the one named Piper?"

Jason kept his expression neutral. "The daughter of Aphrodite?" Of which the female in question had since disappeared from sight. "She's..." _Mysterious. Intriguing. Possibly dangerous._ "Nice," he managed.

Reyna looked slightly disappointed with his answer but thankfully she doesn't push it. He looked forward again, missing Reyna's wistful look at his back.

* * *

"It feels like barely anything's changed," Leo murmured as Piper nodded in agreement, sitting on the dragon behind him. He had finally gotten his fire under control.

The villa and its lands was situated between the narrow strip of hilly land between the mountains and the ocean. The villa building itself was built on the tallest hill, so its occupants could overlook the much lower land below them and look out for any sign of disturbances. That was how the Roman general kept control of his land and his slaves.

The grain crops were already planted last month in October, where they were to be harvested in April or May. Groves of olive and fig trees were in the northernmost plots of land while the grape fields as the grapes were already picked. Far off in the distance to the east, small fishing boats bobbed up and down in the coast. The Roman general had been a wealthy man, even having the luxury of a grassfield for a small herd of cattle, sheep, and pigs to graze on.

Piper scanned the surroundings. "Or perhaps it has."

On the surface, it seemed like nothing had changed, the place where she lived for nearly two years. But Piper eyed that the people tending to the fields were less skinny and happier in some ways. When she had been forced to work the fields, her fellow companions were lean and skinny from hard work and poor nutrition. How she hated gruel, but it was the only thing she was given to eat, alongside stale bread and the occasional close to rotting fruit.

But now the people tending the fields, though some in threadbare clothing, wore decent clothes and not the rags she was accustomed to ten years ago. Instead of watching the armies pass by with fear or suspicion, the farmers tending the fields only looked on with curiosity. A few even waved hello.

"They're not enslaved," Piper observed. Throughout her years with the Greek demigod army, they had helped many enslaved people escape.

"No," Annabeth said as she shook her head. "I heard these people just rent the land from the owner, but they're not slaves tied down to the landowner. They're free citizens."

It wasn't long before they marched on to the villa front doors. Piper slid off the dragon, hesitant to enter the actual villa buildings.

Annabeth gave her a sympathetic look, knowing Piper's history with the Roman villa. "We'll just set up camp on the courtyard outside the main villa walls. You don't have to go inside the villa." The daughter of Athena squeezed Piper's hand in support.

Piper cracked a warm smile. "Thanks Annabeth." She let out a large sigh, remembering the stark white walls surrounding the villa.

The main building itself was certainly the largest in the area, dwarfing the even the slaves' quarters that housed over sixty slaves. Red tile baked from clay composed the roof and high windows on the wall let the general oversee the land. Often the windows were used for soldiers to catch sight of any slave rebellions or trouble.

Annabeth made a disgruntled noise. "The architecture is simply horrible. So many windows? Did the architect not realize how unstable the walls would be? Where's the columns?"

"They should have hired you as the architect," Percy said fondly. He ruffled her hair, and she batted his hand away but not before flushing slightly.

Leo and Piper exchanged glances. Time to step out before the not-old-married couple become more lovey-dovey.

"I'm not going back in there," Leo muttered, glaring at the building as though it was the portal to Tartarus.

"You don't have to." Piper wasn't so keen on entering as well. As the building and the lands around it were owned by the Romans, the Roman army had no qualms about entering and setting up camps inside. "I'm going to go look around for a while." Even the fields that she worked in before were much more preferable than this.

She started walking away in some random direction, just anywhere away from where she had been imprisoned. Her master had always discomfited her, observing with his beady dark eyes. He kept a sharp eye and harsh whip for all his slaves, but the Roman general was particularly fond of inspecting her work. Perhaps, even back then, he had suspected something of her heritage. Piper had managed to keep her powers under wrap even then, covering herself in dirty rags and messy hair so she could damp down her beauty.

Before long, Piper found herself walking down a battered path that led to a grove of fig trees, the figs all harvested. A small meadow lay in the middle of it. But she wasn't alone. She instantly ducked behind the closest tree.

The man's back faced her, his figure looking forlornly at two oblong shaped grey stones poking out of the ground. Graves, Piper realized.

He laid a handful of flowers on the smaller one. The smaller one looked well-kept, with a ring of crocus around it. The larger one looked neglected, with a large rocky chunk missing. The man ignored that grave.

The wind picked up, ruffling her hair.

"I know you're there," Jason said.


End file.
